SHAMOKIN - Shamokin City Police Department, Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini and the North Central Highway Safety Network will host a training class today and Friday for area police officers in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) to assist officers in detecting impaired drivers.
The training is developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 1981, NHTSA began SFST training for police officers. SFST is a scientifically validated standardized training that police officers throughout the United States use to determine if a motorist is operating impaired.
The training will be conducted at Shamokin Police Department and will involve officers from various Northumberland County police departments.
David R. Everly, regional coordinator for the North Central Regional DUI Enforcement Program in Pottsville, said the training is being held to better equip police officers with the tools needed to remove impaired drivers from highways.
The United States Department of Transportation reported 10,839 fatalities occurred in 2009 in impaired driving crashes throughout the country. PennDOT reported 449 fatalities occurred in 2009 on Pennsylvania roadways.